Turn Dreams Into Reality

Major Otto Padron (Reserve, Officer), talks about experience/benefits - talked to a ROTC recruiter while in community college and it was in line with his goals. Benefits: leadership and decision-making skills, opportunities you don’t get in...

Officer Army Housing

Turn Dreams Into Reality

Major Otto Padron (Reserve, Officer), talks about experience/benefits - talked to a ROTC recruiter while in community college and it was in line with his goals. Benefits: leadership and decision-making skills, opportunities you don’t get in...

One day, walking through my community college, I look over and there was a ROTC recruiter. Talking to that recruiter, I quickly realized that the ROTC program was going to give me an opportunity to attend the school that I wanted to go to and not just the school that I could afford. I immediately said, hey, this is the way to go, and I applied.

I was an ROTC Cadet and I believe first and foremost that you are a college student. All ROTC is going to do is, when everybody else is graduating, you're going to have that step up as far as leadership and decision-making skills.

It's not often that you see someone like Otto who consistently shows that leadership quality. He's a tremendous executive and we've seen him grow over the years. With big dreams and aspirations, you're not going to get very far if you don't have a way to shape and mold those particular aspirations. I think that ROTC gives you an opportunity at a different level that isn't necessarily a curriculum that's offered at a classroom.

We don't just prepare future Officers; we also prepare future civilian leaders, community leaders, governmental leaders. The training that I received at ROTC has applied throughout my entire career - both in my military as well as in my civilian. The ROTC experience was a great opportunity and a great avenue to achieve my goals.